Sandilands Primary School

SANDILANDS JUNIOR SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 14 th to 15 th November 2000

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SANDILANDS JUNIOR SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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SANDILANDS JUNIOR SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Sandilands Junior School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Wendover Road Wythenshawe Manchester

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Miss J Twiss

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 18 th November 1996 Sandilands Junior School - 2

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Team members

Martin Lester, 20596 Registered inspector Bill Twiss, 9986 Lay inspector Mary Hamby, 20498 Team inspector

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Team members

Primary Contract Services Limited 7 Hawthorn Coppice Hagley Stourbridge West Midlands DY9 0PE

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Team members

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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Team members

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Sandilands Junior School - 3

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REPORT CONTENTS

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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PART B: COMMENTARY

The climate for learning is good and contributes very successfully to the pupils' personal development.

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PART B: COMMENTARY

The provision for pupils with special educational needs is most effective and helps these pupils make very good progress.

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PART B: COMMENTARY

Teaching of information and communication technology (ICT) is good, and helps the pupils to achieve well.

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PART B: COMMENTARY

The headteacher and governors work together effectively to promote the school's aims and values.

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PART B: COMMENTARY

Positive relationships with parents result in the school receiving strong support for and confidence in what it does.

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PART B: COMMENTARY

The use of assessment information to provide work more clearly matched to what pupils already know, understand and can do.

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PART B: COMMENTARY

The pupils’ abilities to solve problems and explain and interpret their investigations.

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PART B: COMMENTARY

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER? 12

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PART B: COMMENTARY

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 13 Sandilands Junior School - 4 Sandilands Junior School - 5

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This is a larger than usual junior school with 278 pupils on roll comprising 128 girls and 150 boys drawn from the local community of Brooklands and Wythenshawe. The school roll has risen in recent years but is, in line with other Manchester schools, projected to fall in the near future. Most of the pupils are admitted from the neighbouring infant school, which shares the same site. The pupils come from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds. The percentage eligible for free school meals (28) is above average. Most of the pupils are of white ethnic origin. The percentage of children with special educational needs (22%) is broadly in line with the national average, but the number of pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Need (8) is above average. The school has a designated provision for five pupils with severe learning difficulties. The pupils' attainment on entry is below average, particularly in English and mathematics. The school has recently experienced

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

considerable changes amongst senior staff. An acting deputy headteacher is assisting the headteacher whilst the permanent postholder is seconded to lead a local school.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a good school that has very positive relationships with parents. It has a clear sense of purpose and a constructive climate for learning. The pupils are very well supported in their personal development, and benefit from good quality teaching. During the period 1996-1999 the standards achieved by pupils aged eleven have been below national expectations but are broadly average when compared with similar schools. The headteacher, staff and governors work effectively as a team to sustain school improvement. The funding per pupil is low, and the school offers good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The climate for learning is good and contributes very successfully to the pupils' personal development. • The provision for pupils with special educational needs is most effective and helps them to make very good progress. • The teaching of information and communication technology (ICT) is good and helps the pupils to achieve well. • The headteacher and governors work together effectively to promote the school's aims and values. • Positive relationships with parents result in the school receiving strong support for and confidence in what it does.

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What could be improved

• The use of assessment information to provide work more closely matched to what pupils already know, understand and can do • The pupils’ abilities to solve problems and explain and interpret their investigations. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. The school has identified both these areas for improvement within its development planning.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in November 1996. Since then, it has made satisfactory progress with the issues identified for attention, and is well placed to sustain further improvement. The conscientious efforts of the headteacher, staff and governors have consolidated the quality of education and care provided and sustained the positive personal development of the pupils. The teachers' planning has improved, is consistently applied and effectively monitored by the curriculum coordinators. Some improvement has been made in the assessment of pupils’ attainment, but the analysis of the resulting data is underdeveloped. A well-planned programme of refurbishment and restocking has improved the quality of the accommodation and library resources. However, these improvements in provision have yet to result in significant improvements in the standards achieved in English, mathematics and science. Relationships with parents have been further strengthened and are very

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

productive. Sandilands Junior School - 6

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by 11 year olds based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Key

English C E A A well above average above average A B Mathematics D D C B Average Below average C D Science D E D C Well below average E

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Key

In 1999 the pupils achieved results that were well above average in English both in comparison with all schools and with those in similar circumstances. The results were in line with the national average in mathematics and below average in science. When compared with similar schools, the results in mathematics were above average and in science were average. When considering the results in English, mathematics and science together, during the period 1996-1999 they have improved broadly in line with the national trend. There is no significant difference between the performance of boys and girls

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Key

In the 2000 tests for eleven-year-olds, the proportion of pupils attaining the expected levels was well below average in all three subjects. This is because the year group contained a significant number of pupils with special education needs. When tested at age seven approximately half of this cohort had either not reached or only just achieved the expected Level 2. These pupils made reasonable progress over their four years in the junior school.

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Key

The inspection findings confirm that the standards in English, mathematics and science for pupils aged eleven are higher than last year but remain below average. These pupils have made satisfactory progress in learning over time and many are now making good progress in lessons. Approximately 30 per cent of the current Year 6 pupils did not attain the expected Level 2 and only one-third of them reached the average level (level 2B) or above, in the English and mathematics tests when they were in Year 2. The pupils are developing their basic literacy and numeracy skills but lack the confidence to apply their knowledge quickly and effectively in problem solving and investigative work.

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Key

The standard of pupils' work in information and communication technology (ICT) does not yet reach the expected levels at the end of Key Stage 2. However, the pupils throughout the school are making good progress in lessons due to teaching that is consistently either good or better. The pupils understand the increasing significance of ICT in their every day lives and appreciate the importance of developing their competency in the subject. They are also keen to apply their skills across other subjects, for example to support the handling of data in mathematics and science.

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Key

There is a well-established system for the setting of improvement targets in English and mathematics. The teachers show a good understanding of the age related national expectations for English and mathematics, but they do not take sufficient account of their pupils' current attainment when setting individual targets for learning. Many of the pupils know what their long term targets are, but are less sure about the sequence of smaller steps they will have to take in order to achieve them. In direct contrast, the pupils identified as having special educational needs benefit from clearly defined targets in their individual education plans. These provide a series of small but relevant challenges for the pupils and help them to make very good progress. Sandilands Junior School - 7

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good. The pupils show considerable enthusiasm for school and work hard.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. The school operates as an orderly and polite community.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Relationships within the school are good. The children accept increasing levels of responsibility, as they grow older.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Satisfactory. Although attendance levels are below the national average, the rate of unauthorised absence is also below average.

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Aspect Comment

The pupils' attitudes and values are strengths of the school. They are keen to learn and try their best in a school that is a welcoming, happy and hard working community.

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Teaching of pupils: Aged 7-11 years

Lessons seen overall Good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses

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Teaching of pupils: Aged 7-11 years

The good quality of the teaching observed at the time of the last inspection has been maintained. During the inspection the teaching was always satisfactory or better: 19 per cent of the teaching was very good and 62 per cent was good.

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Teaching of pupils: Aged 7-11 years

The classrooms are well organised, and there are clear rules and expectations about attitudes to work and behaviour. The teachers use a wide range of strategies to motivate and manage their pupils. As a result, relationships between the teachers and the pupils are good and the pupils are keen to work hard and do their best. In addition, there are good procedures for monitoring and supporting the pupils' personal development. This has resulted in the pupils' growing belief in their own abilities. A significant amount of information about the pupils' academic performance is also recorded. Consequently, the teachers have a good knowledge of their pupils. The information about the pupils' personal development is evaluated effectively and acted upon. However, the teachers do not fully utilise the available performance data. It is not yet consistently well analysed to accurately identify the next steps in the pupils’ learning, and to set appropriate but challenging targets for

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Teaching of pupils: Aged 7-11 years

The teachers have a good knowledge of the subjects they teach. They make effective use of a range of national guidance, including that provided in the national strategies for literacy and numeracy. However, opportunities for the pupils to explain and interpret their work are underdeveloped. A good feature of the teaching is the range of specialisms offered by the staff, and by visiting teachers. This results in the pupils experiencing some very exciting and highly motivating learning opportunities. For example, Year 6 pupils are currently involved in an African theme that most effectively develops their awareness of other cultures through work in art, drama and music. This work is significantly enhanced through the use of excellent, visiting music teachers.

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Teaching of pupils: Aged 7-11 years

The quality of the teaching for pupils with special educational needs is very good. The teachers are careful to ensure that these pupils are fully included in whole class lessons. They sensitively question at an appropriate level to ensure not only that the pupils learn quickly, but also see themselves as successful learners. Sandilands Junior School - 8

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum An interesting range of cultural opportunities enhances a broad and balanced curriculum of good quality. Good links are made between subjects.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good. These pupils are very well supported. As a result, they make very good progress towards the targets within their individual education plans.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good. The provision effectively contributes to the pupils' positive attitudes, behaviour, values and relationships. The pupils are learning successfully to appreciate a range of cultural traditions, to work as part of a team, and to recognise the importance of fairness, honesty and justice.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The pupils receive good educational and personal support and guidance. The procedures for child protection and ensuring the pupils' welfare are also good. The very good provision for the pupils' personal development results in their positive self-esteem, and makes a strong contribution to a beneficial climate for learning.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Good. The headteacher provides a clear educational direction and ensures that the school's aims and values are clearly reflected in its everyday work. She is well supported by her new senior management team.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. The governing body effectively fulfils its responsibilities and plays a leading role in shaping the future direction of the school.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Good. The leadership, including the governing body, has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Satisfactory. Money is spent according to the development priorities of the school and takes account of " value for money" principles. All those involved in shaping the school's future have a shared commitment to school improvement. They work well together to celebrate the school's successes and identify areas for further development.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The children come willingly to school and enjoy working hard in their lessons. • The children make good progress as a result of good teaching. • The children are well behaved and given good support to become mature and responsible. • The school is well led and managed. • The amount of information about their children’s progress and homework. • The range of after school activities.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with the many positive views expressed. The quality of the information for parents about the curriculum is excellent and the pupils’ reports are good. The teachers set suitable homework, in line with the recently introduced school policy. The provision for extra-curricular activities is satisfactory and similar to that found in many junior schools. Sandilands Junior School - 9

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The climate for learning in the school is good and contributes very successfully to the

1. The school has effective systems in place to nurture the personal development of the pupils. Relationships in the school are good, and the pupils are keen to learn. The provision for the pupils' social and moral development is very good. They know the school rules and behave themselves in lessons and when moving around the school. They work well together in pairs and groups, and are keen to see each other succeed. The system of house points is used well to add an element of competitiveness and shared endeavour. In addition, the children in Year 6 are given positions of responsibility within the house system and around the school in order to further support their personal development. The pupils are actively involved in the Manchester Arts Festival, and participate in an annual residential outdoor adventure course on Lake Windermere. These are rightly seen as valuable experiences that contribute significantly to both the personal and

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The climate for learning in the school is good and contributes very successfully to the

2. The school provides ample opportunities for the pupils to experience a spiritual dimension to their lives. In addition to regular lessons in religious education, the teachers are successful in extending their pupils understanding the essence of spirituality in other areas of the curriculum. For example, in an English lesson the pupils thought about different creation stories, and the consequences of Pandora's actions when she opened the forbidden box. The assemblies are also planned thoughtfully to provide time for reflection and the development of a sense of awe and wonder. This was seen to good effect during the inspection when the theme for the week was " Our Feelings ", and in particular anger.

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The climate for learning in the school is good and contributes very successfully to the

3. Cultural education is central to the school’s provision. It successfully provides a range of activities which build on the pupils’ own heritages and extends beyond them. For example, the pupils learn some of the aspects of the Jewish faith by studying decorative artefacts. A wide range of music, art and literature is presented to the pupils in an appropriate way so that they can learn, enjoy, and begin to appreciate the aesthetic aspects of school life. A particularly good feature of the provision for cultural development is the specialist teaching for the pupils in Year 6. In the week of the inspection for instance, the pupils learnt an African chant and began to understand how this would have been used in its original setting. This excellent specialist teaching contributed very well both to the pupils’ cultural development and to their developing spirituality.

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The provision for pupils with special educational needs is most effective and helps these

4. There are very good systems for identifying and supporting the pupils with special educational needs. Each class has a folder, which contains information to help the teachers to plan work that builds constructively on these pupils’ existing skills and knowledge. The folders are conscientiously maintained with regular entries showing what progress has been made. Individual education plans are drawn up, containing clear targets that the pupils can realistically achieve within an identified time scale. The teachers are careful to ensure that the pupils with special needs are included in whole class lessons. They question them sensitively at an appropriate level to ensure not only that they learn quickly, but also see themselves as successful learners. The pupils with special educational needs are given jobs and responsibilities that enable them to make an active contribution to their school community as a whole, and thereby raise their self-esteem.

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The provision for pupils with special educational needs is most effective and helps these

Sandilands Junior School - 10 Specialist advice is sought where appropriate and very good use is made of additional literacy support to give targeted help to groups of pupils. They clearly benefit from it. Sandilands Junior School - 11 5. Sandilands provides places for up to eight children with severe or complex learning difficulties, spread throughout the infant and junior schools. At the time of the inspection, five such pupils were attending the junior school. The provision for these pupils is very well organised by the learning support teacher and her assistants. Each pupil’s individual learning plan and the associated activities and strategies for management of the pupil in the classroom are thoroughly discussed by all involved. The overriding aim of this provision is to enable these pupils to feel good about themselves, to be proud of their personal achievements and to try to accept and overcome

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The provision for pupils with special educational needs is most effective and helps these

their difficulties. Another significant feature is the way in which the pupils learn alongside their peers, sharing both the curriculum and all the personal and social experiences available within the school. In addition, there is a considerable input into all classes of expertise concerning both the identification and the provision for a wide range of pupils. The overall effect is that the school successfully raises the self-esteem of many of its pupils.

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The provision for pupils with special educational needs is most effective and helps these

6. The quality of the provision for pupils with special educational needs is also well supported through prudent spending. Good " value for money" decisions have provided additional teaching time and regular non-contact time for the special educational needs coordinator. This extra time is well used to facilitate liaison between all teachers, resulting in a consistently effective provision for these pupils.

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Teaching of information and communication technology (ICT) is good, and helps the pupils

7. The school has recently appointed a very knowledgeable ICT co-ordinator. In a very short time, he has made rapid progress in improving provision for the subject. A realistic action plan has been drawn up, and there is evidence of much of this already being implemented. The plan suitably identifies what the school needs to do in order to enable the pupils to attain the expectations for their age group. It sets out realistic markers that take account of the low starting point that the school was at recently. Sufficient note has been taken of not only the pupils' competencies in all aspects of ICT, but also the different levels of confidence of all members of the staff team. The staff are willing to undertake further training not only to help them implement the requirements of the national curriculum, but also to use ICT at their own level to help them track the pupils' attainment.

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Teaching of information and communication technology (ICT) is good, and helps the pupils

8. During the inspection, the teachers made very good use of ICT resources both to develop the pupils' competency and to provide opportunities for the application of these skills in other subjects such as English, mathematics and science. This was seen to good effect in lessons involving the use of spreadsheets to classify mini-beasts. The consistently good teaching helps the pupils to achieve well. The lessons start with a quick revision of the work covered in the previous ICT session, and this helps the pupils to consolidate their knowledge and skills. The learning objectives are made clear to the pupils, so that they know how their previous learning will be developed during the lesson. New skills are taught competently and the pupils acquire more technical expertise in each lesson. Furthermore, sufficient time is allocated for the pupils to apply their newly acquired skills for a real purpose. The pupils are keen to learn, are helpful to each other,

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Teaching of information and communication technology (ICT) is good, and helps the pupils

share equipment well and have a great enthusiasm for the subject. Although they do not yet attain the nationally expected levels, they are making good progress, and are achieving all they can.

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Teaching of information and communication technology (ICT) is good, and helps the pupils

9. A significant contributory factor to this positive picture is the deployment of a classroom assistant to support the pupils in most ICT lessons. Moreover, several parent volunteers also give freely of their time for this purpose. Sandilands Junior School - 12

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The headteacher and Governors work together effectively to promote the school's aims and

10. The partnership between the headteacher and governing body is successful in pursuing the identified aims in the context of the school's vision. This vision focuses upon the development of high quality teaching, tolerance and mutual respect. The school has a clear sense of community and shared purpose. It was successful in achieving the “Investors in People” status in 1999, and it is clear that all those who use the building are valued members of a learning community. The headteacher leads the school with skill, and shows a very caring attitude to staff and pupils alike. She understands the importance of continuing professional development, and supports the staff in furtherance of their own careers. This commitment led her to encourage the deputy headteacher to take on an invitation to become the acting headteacher of a local school. In turn, it created opportunities for others within the remaining staff team to shoulder extra responsibilities. The

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The headteacher and Governors work together effectively to promote the school's aims and

staff concerned have risen to the challenge with considerable enthusiasm and success.

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The headteacher and Governors work together effectively to promote the school's aims and

11. The headteacher knows all the pupils well. She involves them in the life of the school in various ways that help them to make their own contributions. She encourages the pupils to aim high, to value effort, and to understand that each person has a unique contribution to make to a shared learning community. The pupils are brought to an awareness of their own strengths and limitations, and are taught to value and respect the environment in which they live. They are encouraged to think about others within and beyond the school, and have recently made a very welcome donation of harvest produce to local senior citizens.

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The headteacher and Governors work together effectively to promote the school's aims and

12. The governors take an active part in the day to day life of the school, and have an astute understanding of the needs of the pupils. Through these informal opportunities and regular meetings, the governors contribute well to the success of the school. The governors’ meetings are well attended, and efficient use of time allows each item on the agenda to be fully debated before agreements are reached and actions decided. The good relationships that are evident in the school are also clearly apparent amongst the governors. Their dedication and the harmonious way in which they work as a team are supportive of the school's aims. This results in the aims being realised in the everyday experiences of all those who work and learn in the school.

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Positive relationships with parents result in the school receiving strong support for and

13. The school is successful in building and maintaining positive relationships with the parents. Consequently, it has their support for and confidence in what it does. The very high number of parents who responded to the pre-inspection questionnaire indicated that they are well satisfied with the school. Ninety-five per cent of the parents responding, for instance, felt that the teaching is good and that the school is well managed. The headteacher rightly believes that the school's relationship with parents is a major strength and that it is rewarding to work with parents who value education, want to help their children and are interested in their progress.

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Positive relationships with parents result in the school receiving strong support for and

14. A particularly strong aspect of the school's work with parents is the way in which it keeps them informed. Much effort is put into the provision of information sessions about what is taught. These sessions successfully let the parents know how they can help their children with their schooling. Significant emphasis is put on responding to the parent’s views and wishes. This is exemplified by the courses recently provided for parents who wanted to learn more about what is taught in the school. In addition to the meetings the school has also produced an excellent range of booklets about important issues such as, science, reading, homework, sex education, special educational needs and behaviour. The school consults widely with the parents. It is alert to Sandilands Junior School - 13 potential barriers that may prevent participation by parents in school events. When developing the home school agreement, for instance, the school offered the parents three different options for

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Positive relationships with parents result in the school receiving strong support for and

consultative meetings. As a result, every parent has endorsed and signed up to the agreement.

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Positive relationships with parents result in the school receiving strong support for and

15. Parental help in the school is a strength. Conscientious and dedicated volunteers help with reading, ICT and other activities. The parents appreciate the hardwork and time that the staff devote to developing and caring for their children. They are keen to support important events such as the schools’ performances and assemblies. A formal association succeeds in raising additional funds for the school. Their latest efforts have produced over £1500 for new resources.

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The use of assessment information to provide work more closely matched to what pupils

16. The school has an assessment co-ordinator who works alongside her teaching colleagues to keep files containing pertinent data about the pupils’ attainment. Various tests and assessments take place regularly throughout the school year. The pupils undergo assessments, both statutory and non statutory, at the end of each year. However, some of the systems are unwieldy, and the information about individual pupils is not summarised well enough to keep track of how much progress has been made over the year as a whole. The teachers do not take sufficient account of the assessments made the previous year, and thus some time is lost identifying suitable targets towards which the pupils are expected to work.

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The use of assessment information to provide work more closely matched to what pupils

17. The setting of improvement targets is an established routine in the school for all year groups, but their quality and appropriateness for individual pupils varies between classes. Although the teachers show a good understanding of the age-related national expectations, they do not take sufficient account of where their pupils are in relation to these expectations when setting individual targets. Consequently, some targets are too far removed from the pupils’ current level of attainment and will take too long to achieve. In some lessons, the teachers pitch the work at too high a level for their pupils to understand, and therefore prevent them from making the strides in their learning of which they are capable.

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The use of assessment information to provide work more closely matched to what pupils

18. The school has identified correctly that improvements need to be made in pupils’ attainment in writing. Punctuation and spelling in particular are well below the age-related expectations. More attention needs to be given to setting down what the next steps for the pupils should be, so that the teaching builds on what they already know and understand. Some pupils have a target “to improve spelling”, whereas they need a more specific target, for instance “to spell regular verbs endings – ‘ed’ ‘ing’”. Many of the pupils know what their targets are, but are less sure about why they are working on them, how they are getting on with them, and when they have to achieve them. In direct contrast, the pupils identified as having special educational needs benefit from clearly defined targets in their individual education plans. These provide a series of small but relevant challenges for the pupil and teacher to work on together. More often than not, these

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The use of assessment information to provide work more closely matched to what pupils

The pupils’ abilities to solve problems and explain and interpret their investigations.

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The use of assessment information to provide work more closely matched to what pupils

19. The pupils are keen to take part in practical work and problem solving activities. However, they have not had enough experience of explaining, predicting, hypothesising, interpreting and using evidence to justify their views. In consequence, they are not able to support their answers, or to Sandilands Junior School - 14 give full enough explanations to questions like "Why", "How", and "What if?" For example, some pupils have made charts of their body measurements, but are not able to summarise the things they have found out, or use the evidence in the charts to justify their simple interpretations. Sandilands Junior School - 15 20. When reading, the pupils are beginning to understand how various characters in their books play an important part in gripping the reader's attention. However, they are not able to describe the characteristics of the people in the story, or relate them to similar fictional characters. In

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The use of assessment information to provide work more closely matched to what pupils

mathematics, the pupils are developing their ability to manipulate numbers, but do not confidently apply their knowledge to solve written problems successfully. For example, many Year 6 pupils did not manage to solve a problem involving the buying of two items and the calculation of the change. Correspondingly, in science, the pupils do not make enough reference to the evidence that they have collected to support their viewpoints.

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The use of assessment information to provide work more closely matched to what pupils

21. In art, they describe a painting in terms of its colour, but are less aware of line, tone, and form. They have difficulty in suggesting emotions evoked by certain works of art, and are not able to say how a painting by one artist relates either to their own experience, or to the work of other artists. Some pupils lack the basic concepts, knowledge and skills to help them become more analytical and expressive. For example, when painting, some pupils did not know how to mix certain colours, which they wanted in order to create an imaginary island. Similarly, in a lesson using reference books, the pupils made very simplistic suggestions about how mountains were formed, and were unsure about how they might improve their knowledge.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

22. In order to raise standards at the school still further the headteacher, staff and governing body should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Make more effective use of assessment information to provide work that is closely matched to what pupils already know, understand and can do.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Provide more regular opportunities for the pupils to explain and interpret their work, not only in English and mathematics but also in practical activities such as investigative science, design and technology and art and design.

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 5

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 278

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 73

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 8

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 58

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

English as an additional language No.of pupils

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 1

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupil mobility in the last school year No.of pupils

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 23

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 19

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

School data 7.3 School data 0.0 Sandilands Junior School - 17 National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Sandilands Junior School - 18 Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 Year Boys Girls Total

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 1999 29 30 59

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 21 21 24 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 23 20 22

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 75 69 78 at NC level 4 or above National 70 (65) 69 (59) 78 (69)

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Boys 19 17 20 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 19 19 20

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentage of pupils School 64 61 68 at NC level 4 or above National 68 (65) 69 (65) 75 (72)

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Sandilands Junior School - 19 Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Black – Caribbean heritage 2 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Any other minority ethnic group 4 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers and classes Financial information

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 11.5 Financial year 1999/2000

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 24.1

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Education support staff: Y3– Y6 Total expenditure 413604

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of education support staff 5.5 Expenditure per pupil 1478

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total aggregate hours worked per week 140 Balance brought forward from previous year 24108

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Balance carried forward to next year 44069 Sandilands Junior School - 20 Results of the survey of parents and carers

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Percentage of responses in each category

Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 48 42 8 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 42 47 9 1 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 41 40 13 5 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 37 41 17 1 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 57 35 3 3 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 64 32 3 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 42 43 11 0 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 48 47 1 1 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 46 45 4 1 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 32 38 14 3 13

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